Where I Am From

I originally wrote this poem for Red Dress Club.

Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop has now offered the same prompt, and I'm linking up because I'm quite proud of this poem!

It is a poem in which you follow the pattern, "I am from..." To learn more about the origins of this idea, click here.

Where I am From

I am from a phoenix rising in the ashes of a desert valley, the hum of an AC, and hope for rain.

I am from the smell of oleander leaves – they take over a backyard – and compete with the smell of chlorine in a busy pool.

I am from cactus and roadrunners, birds of paradise and mesquite. They were quite common to me, and under-appreciated for too long.

I am from Grandma’s house on Swiddler. I am from Grandpa Jack and Grandma Ruth’s parties and bologna sandwiches. I am from birdhouses and strawberry plants and a passion for living life without looking back.

I am from a spirit of longing and searching. For more.

I am from a place of being seen but not heard. Until you have proven yourself.

I am from do as I say, not as I do. Create your own model.

I am from a place where God resides in the world around us, in unsuspecting places.
From a place of grace, in the midst of human error.

I’m from a city of escape, to where new standards can be created.

I am from the whirring of an ice cream machine maker, crushing ice into something softer, in the heat of a night.

I am from John Lennon in the morning, windows wide open, and a mother cleaning the kitchen. Making life fresh.

I am from rain that is rare. Rain that pours down the gutters. It calls to children to play in a moment that doesn’t come often.

I am from a hope chest that holds letters and blankets, obituaries, and sheet music. I am from a hope chest that is full, but with enough space to hold a little more.

I am from all that is before me, with hope to hold a little more.